Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

New kittens - litter and tray advice please

15 replies

BoundByBriars · 13/12/2017 11:52

Two four-month-old kittens arrived with us 2 weeks ago and have promptly taken over our lives and hearts. They have settled in beautifully, so I want to start the changeover from the open litter box they are used to, to some kind of covered tray, but I need a bit of advice on what might be best and how to approach the change.

Obviously, I'll be needing two. One boy is small and quite timid, the other is bigger and bolder.

Are top entry boxes the best these days? What about the sifters that save you scooping? My main concerns are smell, tracking and saving on litter as we've gone through an amazing amount so far - probably because the open tray is so stinky!

I need advice on litter too. Pets at Home sold me their "kitten litter" as it's less dusty and one of them has cat flu Sad with weepy eyes and sneezing. Is there a better alternative/one I can buy in bulk?

I'm new to this so any tips on getting them used to a new box would be greatly received.

OP posts:
TheSecondOfHerName · 13/12/2017 16:30

We are using:

Petmate top entry litter tray (very happy with it, no leakage, no tracking of litter anywhere).

Cat's Best Nature Gold (smart pellets) litter. Very happy with it. Wee clumps well, no dust, it stays in the box and doesn't smell. Quite expensive but it's supposed to last a while.

It would be lovely to see a photo of the kittens.

Toddlerteaplease · 14/12/2017 10:45

I've also got the petmate top entry box. It's brilliant. I just filled it with litter and they took to it straight away. My two aren't very bright, so I was surprised they got it straight away!

Original poster
BoundByBriars · 14/12/2017 15:47

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll give it a go.

I may keep the open one there too for a few days just in case.

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 14/12/2017 17:37

I have an open one with high sides. I use a mix of cats best nature gold and worlds best (mixed in the same tray). I buy it from bitiba or zooplus

TheSecondOfHerName · 14/12/2017 17:42

dementedpixie where do you get your Cat's Best Nature Gold? I bought 15kg from the cat shelter but that's going to run out eventually. I haven't seen it in any supermarkets and Pets At Home only stocks the 'original' type.

dementedpixie · 14/12/2017 17:44

Bitiba or zooplus sells it

dementedpixie · 14/12/2017 17:46

They're now called smart pellets I think

dementedpixie · 14/12/2017 17:54

Pets at home has it online to order but it's expensive

dementedpixie · 14/12/2017 17:56

£5 cheaper from the other places

TheSecondOfHerName · 14/12/2017 19:30

Thank you. This afternoon I asked the local small independent hardware store if they'll consider stocking it. If they do, I'd consider paying slightly more to support their business. If not, I'll try Zooplus.

Hulder · 14/12/2017 19:41

We use Nature's Best (or whatver it's called) from Zooplus. 2 trays and just switched over one at a time. The kittens understood straightaway that it was still a litter tray.

It's so much more convenient. Clumps well and as our trays are upstairs it's nice being able to flush them. We also like having it delivered by Zooplus so no more lugging it home from the supermarket.

We are also switching over to the Modkat top entry trays which are pricey but seemingly always reduced on Zooplus. Again, as long as we put them where the old tray was, the kitten (and indeed the old cat) instantly grasped what to do. They have instantly eliminated the litter being tossed across the floor. Plus one of them likes to have a wee right at the edge of the tray so often missed, being in an enclosed tray means no more accidents.

ItsYuleyme · 14/12/2017 19:46

Hulder
Great isn't it, when they hang their bums over the side and wee!
🤣🤣🤣 that's why we got an enclosed one. They actually seem to like it better being hidden for some reason. Cats are strange though so who can figure them out anyway!

Hulder · 14/12/2017 20:28

I know! The Modkats cost a fortune but are v well built, reasonable to look at and will last forever. They also work for our old cat who can't figure out how to access a catflap tray.

Original poster
BoundByBriars · 15/12/2017 23:22

Oh the Modkat looks awesome. It's on offer at zooplus so I might get a couple of those, change one at a time and use the old litter for a bit before moving on to Cat's Best.

Does the fact that it's open at the top mean it still smells like an open tray? Are the flap door ones less stinky?

OP posts:
Hulder · 16/12/2017 10:21

The Cat's Best is a lot less whiffy than the pellets the kittens cames from rescue with, but not whiff free - there is definitely a small straight after a poo and if you don't skip out every day. But that's not nice for the cat anyway as I have explained repeatedly to DH

Modkat doesn't smell like an open tray and neither do the flapdoor ones. I just liked the look of Modkat as they looked more interior design-ish (they are massive though) so more acceptable in a normal room. Plus I have the cat that won't use a flap to deal with Hmm

New posts on this thread. Refresh page